Leftover Food by Atharva Devasthali

In today's day and age, the fast-paced lifestyle has become the norm. Not taking out time for yourself and devoting oneself to the hustle culture has become normalized. But in my opinion, this lifestyle leads to many mental blockages and perils across various aspects of life.

This lifestyle can lead us astray from ourselves and cause burnout. A caveat with hustle culture and work-worship is that it can—and most often will—consume so much of our day that it doesn’t leave us with enough time to declutter the mind. Due to this lack of time, we may end up disregarding the need to process our emotions.

I believe unprocessed or unresolved emotions and thoughts are much like leftover food—the longer it

remains, the more stale it gets, and the more stale it gets, the harder it is to get rid of or per say “deal with”. It is this very leftover food which reeks up your kitchen or furthermore, your mind.

The day often comes quickly when you realize these unprocessed emotions begin to fog your brain, hinder your ability to focus, and destabilize your mood.

We can learn how to regulate and process these emotions by becoming mindful when feeling them and understanding how to mentally compartmentalize when and how to process them optimally.

Let us learn, step by step, how to process emotions:

First step: As the saying goes, "A problem well stated is a problem half solved." We must first be able to recognise which thoughts, experiences, and emotions we’ve been suppressing for most of our lives.

Second step: Learn to give yourself the time and space you need to truly feel the essence of your mind and whatever goes on inside it.

Third step: Let your mind roam. Let those intrusive thoughts occur, and allow them to pass through. Trying to prohibit them will only cause them to linger longer than necessary.

Fourth step: Recollect vividly. Try to remember your reaction to the situation and let it sink in.

There, you’ve done it!

Before you even realize it, you'll have processed those emotions and will feel calm, collected, and mentally satisfied. Taking out just 10 minutes for yourself each day can bring both mental peace and renewed enthusiasm.

Try it sometime.